The King vs. The Snake

It’s the matchup we’ve craved for years since the Kobe and LeBron matchup could no longer be a possibility. We’ve seen this matchup before but it was with totally different circumstances. The last time these two played each other LeBron obtained his first of now three titles. Supervillain LeBron James was out to prove that he deserved his first championship after losing in his second attempt at a title against the Dallas Mavericks the year before.

Looking at this matchup most believe it will be one of many matchups that will just straight up cancel out…wrong. The play between these two mega stars could easily determine who wins the series.

Last time these two faced off in the playoffs Durant was only in his fourth year out of the league and was still practically a child in the eyes of many; he was not used to the stage that the NBA Finals brought. As a Cleveland fan, it was dreadful to watch these two fight against each other because LeBron just bullied Durant throughout the season and easily could have swept had it not been for a fluke first game of the series. Game 5 was a bloodbath for the Thunder as they were embarrassed by Mike Miller who dropped 23 points off the bench.

Kevin Durant has become the new bad guy this season.

After blowing a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, Durant found it easier to just join them and make them even deadlier with his jumper. Durant brings a deadly jumper and lanky defense. He does not shy away from defending someone smaller than him and he dominates most people at his position. Durant can knock down free throws at an exuberant rate and can drive to the rim like the others. Expect Durant to come out scoring at a high rate in the first couple games of the series and then take it from there.

LeBron James may not be the MVP but he’s my MVP. James absolutely dominated the finals last year leading all players in points, rebounds, steals, assists and blocks. King James may not dominate that much this year but expect him to be the Finals MVP when it’s all said and done. James wants to prove that it wasn’t a fluke that the team came up on top last year in Game 7.

When looking at LeBron’s gameplay this season it’s very easy to see how different he is playing this year compared to last. He looks like a surgeon out there and he’s finding his spots to dominate. He can rely on teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving much more this year due to the increase of production from both of them from the onset of the playoffs.

This is the dream matchup and it’s something that Durant has been begging for. He royally screwed the Thunder just for this chance to play against LeBron.